Kendō Monkeys

Beautiful weather makes for great hiking, and so do monkeys. Seconds into the start of my walk up Dakeng's 大坑 No. 3 Trail, I encountered a small group of Formosan macaques 台灣獼猴 foraging amongst the foliage. Climbing over the railing to get a better look might not have been a good idea, as it made at least one of them annoyed enough to start approaching me, but it turns out a camera flash makes for an effective deterrence. With all the moving around in the dense undercover, it was impossible to get any decent photographs, with the two shots below the best I could do...:

...but, with no offense to any literally-minded Christians out there (OK, offense intended), it was great having a close encounter with our nearest relatives.

Following my nearly three-hour excursion up the No. 3 and down the No. 4, I rode into downtown Taichung 台中 to check out a Japanese-era kendō 剣道 dōjō 道場 that I had heard about from Andrew Kerslake (of Taiwan in Cycles). Located close to the intersection of Linsen 森林路 and Sanmin 三民路 Roads, the building is a beautiful example of colonial-period architecture. The original martial arts building was constructed in August 1912, before being replaced by a cement brick building in 1930. Half of the interior is covered with tatami 畳 mats, and was used for jūdō 柔道 training, while the exposed wooden flooring was intended for kendō practice:

There are also two wooden buildings, one adjacent to the practice hall, and the other directly behind it. The rear building serves as a museum, though it was undergoing some final touches by workmen when I took off my shoes and had a look inside:

A banyan tree stands tall among the old structures:

The area around the martial arts compound has a number of Japanese-era homes, but, sadly, most are in a state of disrepair. This green house below was a happy exception, and had just been used as a setting for a couple's wedding photographs when I stumbled across it:

A tip of the hat to the Taichung city government for not letting ideological considerations get in the way of historical preservation. And a big thanks to Andrew for telling me about this. However, I must respectfully disagree with his explanation:

"Its significance in Taiwan is that it was used to prepare Taiwanese school children to learn the militarism necessary to fight for the emperor."

Actually, as a couple of plaques on-site make clear, these buildings served as a training center for guards at the Taichung Penitentiary (which was built on the same grounds in 1895). Even today, kendō is an important part of training for many police officers in Japan. After all, it instills discipline, builds stamina, develops a sense of timing and comes in handy for those who must wield a baton or a stick in their line of work. Though kendō was banned in Japan after World War II by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces (SCAP) 連合国軍最高司令官総司令部 (as were all other martial arts), the proscription was short-lived, and by 1950 it was allowed to be practiced again. For more on kendō, follow the Wikipedia link.

Thanksgiving

Yes, it's that time of year again, at least for Americans. In Taiwan, of course, this day isn't a holiday, but we were still able to have a turkey dinner this evening at an expatriate bar/restaurant in Taichung 台中. Amber seemed especially satisfied with the meal. As this day is meant to be a time of reflection, I have a lot to be thankful for. While the last ten years or so certainly haven't progressed in the manner in which I had hoped (and in some areas, there has been virtually no progression), I realize things could be much, much worse. I have a wonderful family, I've gotten to know a lot of great people (though, sadly, a couple of them are no longer with us), and I've had the chance to do things and go places that many others will never get. No matter where you are in this world, or what your passport has stamped on its cover, I wish all of you a happy thanksgiving in the truest sense of the word.

写真

A couple of pictures taken on my way home from the pool this afternoon:

In the news

In a move that is sure to generate yet another unintentionally hilarious China Post editorial fulmination, it's "Japan eyes doubling ground troops on islands close to China, Taiwan", courtesy of Japan Today:

"The Defense Ministry 防衛省 is considering doubling the number of ground troops deployed in Okinawa 沖縄 and other Nansei islands 南西諸島 in southwestern Japan close to China and Taiwan to 4,000 by 2014 under its basic defense program to be updated at the end of this year, defense sources said Sunday. In the new National Defense Program Outline, the full strength of the Ground Self-Defense Force 陸上自衛隊 would be stipulated as 157,000, the sources added. The figure is less than the 168,000 personnel stated in the ministry’s initial plan but 2,000 more than the current 155,000. The new troops will be deployed in the islands as part of Japanese efforts to step up vigilance against China, which has been increasing naval activities in areas around the Nansei Islands, a chain of islands stretching from southern Kagoshima 鹿児島 to Okinawa prefectures near Taiwan. Tension grew between the two countries following collisions in September between a Chinese trawler and Japanese patrol vessels near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島, which are also claimed by China."

The sight that greeted me this morning...

...when I opened the door to check on my daughter:

Play ball

Sports are in the news now in Taiwan, but for all the wrong reasons, as the country reacts with disbelief and fury over the disqualification of Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun 楊淑君 at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Rather than throw my two cents-worth into the maelstrom of anti-Chinese and anti-Korean conspiracy theories, I'll refer you to an article in the Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売 about baseball, that shared national pastime among the USA, Japan and Taiwan. The veteran baseball writer Jim Allen, in his regular Hot Corner column, has a piece on efforts being made in Japan to expand the grand old game in the international market, with a large part of the article referring to Taiwan ("Taiwan next stop on road to future"):

"...Nippon Professional Baseball 日本プロ野球 Commissioner Ryōzō Katō 加藤良三 met with his counterparts from Australia, South Korea and Taiwan in September. As a result of that meeting, Taiwan has offered to host a revived Asia Series in November 2011. The club championship started in 2005 and was held at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム four times. 'It's been our goal to unite Asian baseball,' Richard Wang, the secretary general of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League 中華職業棒球大聯盟, told The Hot Corner by phone on Tuesday. 'From many years ago, we had a dream of having a champion of the Asia Series play against the major league champion.' Taiwan makes an interesting setting for the Series' revival, considering the CPBL is undergoing its own rebirth nine months after being rocked by a massive game-fixing scandal. 'It [the scandal] was somewhat of a disaster,' Wang said. 'But since then, we've gotten great support from the Taiwan government's baseball revival plan. We had trust issues. Baseball had been tainted with bad influences.' Wang says the government's recognition of pro baseball's role in the nation has been crucial. 'It's not just from government policy, but from law enforcement,' he said. 'This is so helpful to keep the bad things away from baseball.' Wang believes the more visible government role will make it easier to secure sponsors. 'More than just getting their names out in public, companies will see involvement with baseball as a positive thing,' he said.

As a crucial part of today's baseball business, sponsorship - or the lack of it - can make or break a venture. The Asia Series began as the Konami Cup and for three years participating teams reaped the rewards of the sponsorship deal. In 2008, the tournament operated without Konami's コナミ cash and hasn't been played since. In the meantime, Japan's champion and the winning team from the Korean Baseball Organization have squared off in a single game. A year ago, the Yomiuri Giants 読売ジャイアンツ beat the KIA Tigers in Nagasaki 長崎. On Saturday, the Chiba Lotte Marines 千葉ロッテマリーンズ defeated the SK Wyverns at Tōkyō Dome before a crowd of 32,743. The strong gate ensured a profit, but was more a reflection on the Marines' fanatic local following than an indication of the tournament's popularity. 'Making money is good,' Wang said. 'But we need to build this Asian Series. It's our goal to unite Asian baseball. In the process, we try to make money.' A challenge for the 2011 tournament, will be finding a way to include a team from Australia, a difficult prospect considering the Australian Baseball League's schedule begins in early November, just as the Japan Series 日本選手権シリーズ is ending. Teams from Taiwan and South Korea already have to wait until the Japan Series ends in early November to meet Japan's champions. To make international competition work, there needs to be coordination and compromise among teams and leagues, particularly in the touchy area of scheduling. It isn't going to be easy, but when individual owners believe their operations will benefit from baseball having a higher international profile, they will jump on the bandwagon like nobody's business."

It's a good article, and one hopes the professional leagues in the various countries will be able to bring about a revival of the Asia Series. There are many obstacles to holding a true World Series with the Major League champion, however. The season is long enough as it is, and MLB is talking about expanding the playoffs further, starting in 2012. The MLB Players Association would also have to be involved in any negotiations to bring about a trans-Pacific championship.

As for Taiwan, Wang sounds very optimistic on the issue of gambling, but considering all the controversies that have beset the league since its formation in 1989, it's doubtful the specter of game-fixing has gone away.

Random pics

While having to take care of some personal matters in Taichung 台中 this afternoon, I managed to squeeze in a 2½ hour walk in Dakeng 大坑. Here are a few random photographs taken today:

 

Why bother with all that hiking when you can just drive up to the top of the Dakeng No. 3 Trail?

 

ケムシ

 

I have no idea what kind of establishment "Pretty Wife Eat Cheese" is, but if I'm not mistaken, the Chinese is either "Jellyfish ("Shuimu" 水母) eat cheese" or "Medusa eats cheese"

 

Better be good around this temple, because the god is keeping watch over the neighborhood